SabanWatch Week 7: Better Late than Never

Another nutso week in paradise. LSU’s hopes for a lossless year got dashed by Kentucky, of all people, but astute viewers will note that the Tigers beat themselves as much as they lost to UK; 103 yards in penalties, including one that gave the Wildcats a fresh set of downs in OT, will do that to you. Still, we’d have expected the contest to be decided well before any OT, let alone 3. LSU played down, and UK played up; time will tell. By Monday, though, LSU’s top ranking was history, and our old pal Ohio State sat in the top spot. (Cal also dropped a game, which puts them out of the running much moreso than it does LSU.)

That brings up something near and dear to, at least, ThirdPartyContractOil: the Big East, since South Florida (who?) is now ranked at #2. True, they’re lossless, an increasingly rare quality this season now that all the other top seeds have dropped games in upsets. However, just “not losing” isn’t enough, Boston College be damned (who, we note, only quashed the helpless Irish 27-14 this week; how tough can they be?). You’ve also got to play the tough teams, and that’s something that the Big East has typically skipped somehow. USF is the best of the bunch, but we’re not sure about the Auburn win given how those Tigers have played this year. The West Virginia win is real, but the balance of the schedule includes only Cincy in the “ranked team” category, and factors in such powerhouses as UNC, Central Florida, and FAU. It’s not as bad as the Irish or Penn State, but it’s still not playing in the Big 10 or SEC.

Now, the meat of the matter: Saban. NickyLou managed to eek out another W this week against Ole Miss, but the narrow victory only adds 3 points to the PointsPerMillion calculations, for a total of 62. The new value is 1.937, nearly as high as it was in week 3. Still, them’s some pricey wins.

ObNotreDame: Charlie’s considering a QB change against USC this weekend, which we’re SURE will have dramatic consequences. Apparently, after his 1-6 start, he thinks swapping playcallers (into his 3rd for the year) will turn the season around. This’ll be fun to watch, and one of the few times we can actually stomach rooting for the Trojans.

Now, the rankings. BCS has it Buckeyes, USF, BC, LSU, Sooners. The AP swaps Oklahoma and LSU. Do they really think that LSU or Oklahoma wouldn’t beat BC like a rented mule? Do they really think that the fancy USF offense can take on the tough-as-nails LSU defensive line? We call shenanigans, and will probably have to do so every October until we get a Goddamn playoff in college football.

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